Ayurveda & Postpartum Care
The 42 days directly following childbirth is a very unique time. For me as the caregiver, it feels like this place of neither here nor there circulates in the air. It’s in these ethers that Ayurveda and other great wisdom traditions around the globe regard as a sacred and a vulnerable period of containment and “rest”. I use rest in quotes because it might not feel like the type of rest that you may have known before giving birth, but it most certainly is a time to focus on healing and recovery through the portal of a new kind of rest.
Ayurveda has amazing things to say about the type of care and rest that may be considered beneficial to new parents during this transitory time. While baby is certainly an important and primary bundle, rejuvenation and recalibration for the birthing parent is essential.
Carrying and birthing a child is a very natural process AND it is also incredibly depleting. The demands of feeding and sustaining the life of a newborn can also press and push the mind and body to places that require intentional and thoughtful care and attention to rebuild during the time when the bodies’ are naturally ready to do so. So these 42 days are known the world over to do just that. Why 42? 42 days is the number of days it takes for approximately all the tissue systems of the body to rebuild, recalibrate and renew, according to Ayurvedic theory.
The focus of this time is on the many ways that Ayurveda and conscious caregiving can support you (the birthing parent) as you make the sacred and gigantic leap into parenthood. In good Ayurvedic theory we will start with the root. Just like any beautiful tree, a good root system is essential to not only deliver nutritates and needed support, the roots also act as a tether and buoy to ground the tree so that she might reach the stars. Similarly in our own ecosystem, establishing good roots of care focusing on nurturing digestion, calming and soothing the mind, grounding and rooting the body and nervous system in rest and restoration and honoring this massive life transformation are key to navigating balance and harmony. Ayurveda has a saying: “42 days for 42 years”. Spending time on taking good and conscious care during this period sets a wise path towards this concept.
Please enjoy these articles on Ayurveda and the 42 days of postpartum care:
https://chitchaaatchai.com/wellness/ayurveda/postpartum-care-new-mothers/
https://sacredwindowstudies.com/2021/08/19/raising-awareness-postpartum/
https://sacredwindowstudies.com/2020/08/03/conscious-postpartum-care/